Apparatus for protection against falls into space



J. TROUIN March 2 7, 195 l APPARATUS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST FALLS INTO SPACE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 31, 1939 w SNQ/ m 0 T N E v m March 27, 1951 J, TROUlN 2,545,202

APPARATUS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST FALLS INTO SPACE Filed March 51, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 29 65 I T 'i 357 I6 24 TI i gfogpkrllroam J. TROUlN March 27, 1951 APPARATUS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST FALLS INTO SPACE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 31, 1939 r'NVE/VTDR. Jbsefiiz Trouba- Patented Mar. 27, 1951 OFFICE APPARATUS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST FALLS INTO SPACE Joseph Trouin, Villeurbanne, France Application March 31, 1939, Serial No. 265,369 In France April 2, 1938 Section 3, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expiresApril 2, 1958 3 Claims. 1

The present invention has for its object to provide an apparatus designed to protect in an efficient manner persons who are exposed to falls into space such, for example, as certain builders, firemen, mountaineers, etc.

The apparatus consists essentially in a winding gear in which the normal winding of the cable is carried out by a spiral spring and in which the sharp drawing back of the cable in the case of the falling of the user to whom it is attached, causes the braking of a drum and, consequently, by an interlocking arrangement, the stoppage or the progressive breaking of the fall.

The annexed drawings show, by way of -example, two constructional forms of the invention.

On the drawings: V

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus causing the stoppage, of a fall;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the cheek comprising the spiral spring control groove for the progressive braking of the drum;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the braking control ratchet of the winding gear;

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the upper part of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a longitudinalsection on line 55 through the mechanism of Figure 4, showing said mechanism in locked position;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 and showing the mechanism unlocked for manual operation of the brake;

Figure 3 is a view in section and elevation of a modified form of the invention, and

Figure 9, is a detail view of the progressive braking means of the form shown in Figure 8.

The fall-stopping apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 comprises a winding gear drum I, the groove in which receives the windings of a cable 2. The latter passes into a guide 3 mounted in a cone 4 integral with the two-part spherical casing 5, in which the mechanism is housed.

The drum I is fixedly mounted on a shaft 6 which is carried by two ball bearings I and 8 housed in two supports 9, Ill integral with a frame II, on which are seated the two covers or domes of the casing 5.

On the shaft 6 is fixed the inner end of a spiral spring I2, which is attached at the other end to the frame II so as, by the rotational movement impressed on the drum I, to control automatically the automatic winding of the cable 2.

The hub of the winding drum I comprises two cams 53, I4, the cam I3, which is of square form with rounded corners, having rolling upon it a roller I5 operating a pawl I6 that oscillates around a shaft II, said shaft being mounted on the boss 60 integral with the under surface of the drum I9 .(see Fig. l). The pawl I6 is urged back by a spring I8, also attached to the drum, so that the roller I5 is normally held in contact with cam I 3. As the drum I is slowly rotated, when the cable is slowly unwound therefrom, the roller will follow the contour of I3 and raise the pawl I 8 in time to clear the teeth I4. As the rotational speed of the cam I4 is increased, however, the inertia of the weight BI will slow down the movement of the roller and, accordingly, cause pawl 6 to engage the teeth I4, thereby locking the drums I and i9 together: this action is controlled by the tension of the spring I8,

The shaft 6 passes through a bearing ID formed in the support It and serving as a bearing for the brake drum I9 which comprises externally a spiral groove 20. Two brake shoes 2|, 22 anchored at 23 operate in the drum I9. On the support Ill there is rotatably mounted a shaft 24 carrying a cam 25 adapted to move the brake shoes ZI, 22 apart, the shoes being drawn back one against the other by two springs 26.

A lever 27 secured to and extending radially from shaft 24 is guided at its free end and in the slot 62 formed in the side of an arcuate arm 28 attached to support ID, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. A pin 29 is freely mounted in a boss 69 provided at the end of the arm and adapted to engage the spiral 20 of the drum I9. A spring 38 urges the pin upwardly and out of engagement with the spiral, for a purpose to be explained later.

A medially offset finger 31 is pivoted at 32 on upstanding ribs It! bent laterally from the sides of lever 21 (one of such ribs being shown in Figs. 5 and 6) and the finger is pressed against the pin 29, by the fiat spring leaves 37, through the intermediary of lock lever 33. As shown to advantage in said Figures 5 and 6 the lever 33 is pivoted at 34 and is adapted to rest against the offset shoulder H of 3| so as to lock, normally, the said finger against lifting. The rear end of lever 33 is bent upwardly and formed with an inclined cam groove 35 in which the pin 36 is slidably engaged: said pin is integral with a block member 63 formed at the end of a hub 64 mounted on the shaft 24 and movable therewith. For a purpose to be evident later, there must exist a certain play between shaft 24 and hub 64: this may be obtained by mounting 64 on the squared end of 24 in a loose manner and loosely pinning 35 in slot 35, will raise lock lever 33,- the spring; leaves 37 and release the finger 3i; thereafter,

the pin 29 will be free to be disengaged from spiral 20 under the action of spring 39. Thus,

the cam 25 will now be under control'of the operator who, through the intermediary of the wrench, can apply or release the-brake at willv for lowering gradually to safety the person sus-. pended in space at the end of the cable... 7

The frame H is provided with a shackle 38'by which the apparatus is hooked at a fixed point and the cable 2 is attached to the belt of the user, the movements of whom the cable can follow without inconvenience due to the tension of the cable 2 by the action of the return spring l2.

When the cable 2 is pulled sharply in consequence of a fall, it causes the cam l3, M to rotate rapidly and thus causes theengagement of the pawl 18 in the teeth of the cam 14, the pawl not having had time to be drawn back by the spring IS. The result is the rotation of the brake drum is by the pawl l6 and, consequently, the displacement of the pin 29 in the spiral groove 20, which also turns.

The progressive spacing of the brake shoes 2|, 22 takes place through the cam 25, which is operated by the lever 27. The result is the progressive braking of the winding drum l of the winding gear.

In order to permit the unwinding of the cable 2 at will, it is necessary to act directly on the shaft 24 by means of the wrench 20' after the latter has been withdrawn from its housing in the support 9'.

The device shown in Figs. '7 and 8 brings about the progressive braking of the cable 2 without causing the stoppage of the winding gear. It comprises the parts of the apparatus described above with the exception of the spiral groove-andits brake control.

By the aid of a free wheel 38 and'of a set of gears 35], 36, 4f, 42, the .drum I drives ahub 13 comprising three branches 44,-each ofwhich is provided with a brake shoe having a mass 45 and return spring 41. Each branch 44 pivots around an axis 48.

When the cable 1 is unrolled from the apparatus, the brake shoes are driven-by'th'e free wheel 38 and the gears 39 to 42. The bra-king is carried out progressively under the action of centrifugal force, which displaces the masses 4E. The result is that thefall of the person suspended by the cable takes place at a slackening speed.

When the cable 2 is left to itself,-it is returned This is accomplished b the by the springs 50, 5| which, without driving the '65 4 gears 39 to 42, turn the shaft 52, the latter turning loosel within the free wheel 38. A spring 53 absorbs the end of the travel of the cable 2.

I claim:

1. Safety braking device-ofthe character described, comprising a freelyjmountedrcable drum adapted to receive a cable, a cable attached at one end to said drum and urged to a wound position thereon by a spring on the drum, a brake drum freely=mounted adjacent the cable drum, stationary brake shoes disposed inside the brake drum, rat-chet means between the two drums for lockingthem together above a given rotational speed of .the'ca ble drum, a lever adapted to operate the brake shoes, a spiral groove on the brake drum, means on the lever for engaging the groove and actuate the brake shoes, and manual means for disengaging the lever groove-engaging means to release the brake shoes.

2. In a safety device as claimed in claim 1, the ratchet means comprisinga-multi-lobed cam and a ratchet-tooth camsecured together in superposed position on the cable drum, a pawl pivotally secured to the'brak'e drum and having an arm, a roller mountedat the end ofsaid arm-and adapted to roll in contact with the lobed cam, an inertia mass ctr-the pawlyand a spring for pressing the roller'on the cam, the pawl being adapted to engage-the teeth of the ratchet cam when the rotational speed of thecable drum exceeds the speed at which the roller can'follow the contour of the lobed 'cam to lift the pawl from engagement with the ratchet cam.

3. In a safety deviceas claimedin claim 1, the

lever means fo'r engaging the spiral groove and manual means for disengagingsame comprising a pin mounted in the end of the lever and adapted to engage the groove, a spring'for normally urging saidpin out of the groove, a finger pivoted to the'arm and adapted to -depress the pin in the groove against the spring, a lock lever adapted to press the-finger to a pin-depressing position, flat springs adapted to hold the lock lever, finger and pin depressed, a camat the inner endof the lock lever, a pin engaging said cam for raising the lever and springs to-free the finger and pin, and wrench actuated means for initially moving the cam pin to free the groove-engaging lever and to control the said lever and associated brake shoes.

JOSEPH 'TROUIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following refe'rencestare of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 695,001 Sharp Mar. 11, 1902 701,094 Setbacken May 27,1902

' 870,777 Harkins Nov. 12, 1907 916,823- Young Mar. 30, 1909 1,016,859 Walters Feb. 6, 1912 1,333,530 Atamia'n l Mar. 9, 1920 

